Annual Report2018-2019

We appreciate our work with you during this unprecedented time of opportunity to help shape a healthy, productive built environment for current and future generations. The creation of our annual report is an opportunity for reflection and future visioning – we invite you to explore our work from the last year, and to join us in a productive year to come.

Letter from the Directors

The UW Integrated Design Lab (IDL) is situated within in the Center for Integrated Design (CID), an officially recognized research entity within the Department of Architecture and College of Built Environments at the University of Washington. The CID promotes a healthy, energy efficient built environment through research, education and outreach initiatives. Located at the Bullitt Center in Seattle, WA, the CID serves as a hub for interdisciplinary research teams to collaborate, share resources and improve knowledge on high performance building design.

We have had a fruitful year and are especially excited about our strengthened connections with our collaborators, clients and colleagues. Our three-part mission of research, technical assistance, and education and outreach connects us with a diverse range of stakeholders, including private parties, local, regional, and federal funding agencies, cities, utilities, trade associations, practitioners of architecture and engineering, building owners, educators, students, and the public. Our extensive reach gives us perspective on the collective culture of inquiry in our region and deepens our nuanced understanding of the market.

This year, our largest funder, the Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance (NEEA), adopted a new five-year strategic plan. We are pleased to be part of their future vision and look forward to the next era of funding through the agency. We have also strengthened our relationships with local utilities, working directly with Seattle City Light, Puget Sound Energy, Snohomish County Public Utilities District, and Tacoma Power.

Our Partnership Initiative has entered its third year. The collective voice of the thirteen-firm Strategic Advisory Board has provided an unparalleled sounding board for our organization. The collective research that we are undertaking as a group has also seen great success, with the American Association of Architects (AIA) providing additional direct funding to expand the scope of the project.

We have worked with numerous partners in the design and construction of buildings through technical assistance including daylighting support, energy master planning expertise, utility incentive modeling, and building performance goal setting.

The IDL serves as a bridge between academia and the building industry, a mutually supportive role that promotes sustainable energy-efficient design and building. As a self-sustaining group in the University of Washington’s College of Built Environments, the Integrated Design Lab (IDL) accelerates long-term market transformation with interconnected research, advocacy, and education, while shaping tomorrow’s design leaders and helping our stakeholders break new ground in sustainable-design practice. In stride with the collective movement that is working to reduce carbon emissions and the impact of buildings on the environment, we drive toward forward-thinking solutions with our partners.

We look forward to the next year, entering a new decade of collaboration and innovation and an enriched built- environment for our region.